Produced from 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 7% Malbec and 14% Petit Verdot, the 2020 John X Merriman offers a layered and seductive nose of black fruits with hints of oak and spice with dried herbs wafting from the nose. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is balanced with buttressing tannins and succulent acidity, offering flavors of black plum and dark cherry with hints of cassis and cinnamon. The wine glides to an elegant and complex finish that has me returning for a second and third sip. Bravo. This aged for 20 months in 35% new French oak barrels. 180,000 bottles were produced.

Offers juicy black currant and boysenberry fruit accented by delicate black licorice, fig cake, graphite and dried thyme. Well-meshed, with light, taut tannins and a subtle streak of loamy earth. Fresh and balanced, this is a round and creamy crowd-pleaser. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Drink now through 2027. 3,435 cases made, 480 cases imported.